As an up-and-coming singer, it was inevitable that Ella Jayne would make her way to Nashville.
She and her family made the trip to the music city on Thursday, January 20th, to record Old Piano by Krysta Young and Overpass Graffiti by Ed Sheeran over the weekend at Blackbird Studio in Edgehill. “We got to Nashville really late,” and before she made it to the studio, Ella Jayne and her family did a little exploration of the city. On Friday morning, they went to the F45 studio in Hendersonville operated by her father, and she hung out there while her parents took the classes. Upon returning to their hotel, they found out their hotel door wouldn’t lock. “A maintenance man had to install a whole new lock on the door, and we had to move rooms.” Quite the way to start the weekend!
Later on Friday night, they went to the Opry mall to get dinner at The Aquarium, an underwater dining experience, and shopping. “The dinner at the aquarium was good but a little strange because you’re eating fish… at an aquarium,” Ella Jayne reminisced. After dinner, Ella and her family relaxed at the hotel and watched Netflix together before her big day.
Recording At Blackbird Studios With The Experts
The following day, Ella Jayne arrived at Blackbird studio for a full day of recording with Grammy-winning engineer Jeff Balding and musicians NIR Z, Derrick Wells, and Jimmie Lee Sloas, along with producer and piano player Larry Carpenter.
Jeff Balding’s producing, mixing, and engineering career dates back to 1982 when he debuted as the engineer and mixer for the band Whiteheart and has since worked with other big names, including Eagles, Hardy, Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dan+Shay, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Megadeth. With the knowledge of a broad array of genres, Balding has since earned a multi-platinum professional profile and six GRAMMY nominations.
NIR Z, a talented session drummer, toured with Genesis in the late 90s and later founded the band Cut with Ray Wilson. In 1999, they released their album Millionairhead. NIR Z went on to perform with musicians like John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Joss Stone, Chris Cornell, Billy Squier, and Alana Davis.
Derrick Wells is a Grammy-nominated first-call multi-instrumentalist and producer. In 2016, he was the youngest person in history to win The Academy of Country Music’s Guitar Player of the Year award. Wells has since performed on over 50 number one songs with a diverse range of artists including Kid Rock, Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, Shakira, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Corey Hart, Ian Gillian of Deep Purple, Thomas Rhett, and Carrie Underwood.
Jimmie Lee Sloas is an American session musician, producer, and songwriter. He was the founder of the band RPM with singer-songwriter Robert White Johnson in 1982 and his discography includes The Imperials, Megadeth, and Dogs of Peace as a bassist. Solas also holds a variety of session musician and production credits and has performed with artists such as Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Carman, LeAnne Rimes, Kellie Pickler, Reba McEntire, PFR, Switchfoot, and Jessica Simpson.
Producer, musician, and songwriter-arranger Larry Carpenter is no stranger to the music scene, getting his start playing the piano at six and touring since he was 13. He has been honored to work with a variety of award-winning artists, producers, session players, and engineers with releases in both the U.S. and U.K. Carpenter has extensive experience in a range of musical genres from pop, R&B, country, and contemporary Christain.
Stepping Into The Recording Booth
With an all-star cast supporting her, Ella walked into the recording studio with an air of confidence, stepping right up without hesitation when asked by the producer of Blackbird Studio what song they should start with to get things rolling. “I think it was a very normal feeling,” she said. “It just felt like I was going to record, and I didn’t feel nervous about it in the end.”
When asked about her learning the songs, she said that it took time and effort to prepare. “I practiced the song for an hour every day to be sure I knew them,” she continued. “We recorded Old Piano and Overpass Graffiti. Linda gave me other songs I could have sang that included a few Adele songs, but I’d have to have figured out a way to change them, and I didn’t know how at the time. Ed Sheeran was recommended, so it was an easy change because me being a girl, my voice already made it different.”
Preparing For Her Upcoming Music Video
To help amp up her music release, Ella Jayne will also be recording a professional music video to one of the two songs she recorded in Nashville. “I haven’t decided yet which song I’m going to record the music video with,” Ella Jayne admits. “It’s a toss-up between Old Piano and nightfall. Old Piano would be easy because all we’d have to do is clear out the big room in the house and put my grandma’s piano in there. But in the end, it may end up being nightfall.” Guess her fans will have to wait and see!
Thankful For Everyone Who Supports Her
When asked what the best part of recording in Nashville was, Ella Jayne replied, “Just the fact that the people are so nice and obviously care about your career and that you do well. They made things easier to make sure everything went smoothly. The experience was very positive! They were really nice; they made suggestions but made it clear that I didn’t have to take them, weren’t super demanding, and they broke down songs where we didn’t have to do the whole song at once, which was helpful for timing.”
When asked what she’ll take from this experience, Ella Jayne replies, “That there are people who care about you and your career. I’m really thankful that I got this experience.”
Ella Jayne will be featured in an article coming out by music writer Jonas Baker. She had the opportunity to sit down with Ella on Sunday to learn more about her music career and experience in Nashville. Stay tuned to read it once it’s been published!